A timeline of doctors visits for my kitty?

Question

I would like to know at what age do I take her to get:
shots, dewormed, spade/neutered, declawed, etc.

**This is my first pet on my own and I want to do things correctly, to ensure good health**

Thanks!

Answer 1

Good for you - apart from the declawing bit, don't do it. That has no benefit for the kitty so why would you want to do it?

Kittens should be taken for their first vaccinations when they are 8 weeks old - this is the earliest age you should be getting the kitten anyway as they are not supposed to come away from their mothers before this.

Kittens should be dewormed at age 8 and 12 weeks, then monthly til 6 months old and 3 monthly thereafter. Defleaing should occur monthly. Do get all these products from a vet and stay away from pet shop products. Frontline spot-on can be used on cat from 8 weeks of age.

Cats should be spayed/castrated from 5 months of age.

Lastly, do feed kitty on a high quality food - pretty much anything that isn't from a supermarket is a good start! Ask the vet for food recommendations. Oh, and do get kitty her yearly boosters - it's up to you for how many years you do this for, but it's good to get the yearly check anyway to discuss any problems or questions. Even if you stop doing the boosters after so many years, the cat should go back to the vet regularly from 10 years of age as this is when they start to develop problems associated with old age. This is really thinking ahead!!

You might want to consider pet insurance too.

Chalice

EDIT: Hm, lots of varying answers - there are slightly different regimes available, ask your particular vet what they suggest/offer!

Answer 2

Initial Vet Visit
Whenever you adopt an animal, no matter where you adopt it from, you should schedule a vet appointment for within the first week that you own the cat. A vet may notice problems during an initial exam that an owner did not or could not notice. If you have any questions about cat care, this vet appointment is a great time to ask. And setting up an appointment at this point in time lets you and your new cat establish a relationship with the vet so if the cat gets sick in the future, it is easier for the vet to make an assessment at that time.

The vet will check your cat over thoroughly. He will look at your cat's eyes and ears, listen to its heart and lungs, and feel its belly. The vet will check for ear mites and for fleas and recommend appropriate treatments if necessary.

Vaccination Schedule:
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/index.php?nic=kitten-vaccination-schedule

You don't need to get your cat declawed especially if your cat is going to go outside. Personally, I wouldn't declaw the kitty and I would still keep the kitty inside. Just be sure to provide your cat with some scratching posts (both vertical and horizontal). You can also keep a little squirt bottle filled with water so nearby so that you can squirt some water at the kitty if the kitty is scratching the wrong places (ie. couch, chair, carpet).

Answer 3

Take her as soon as you can and the vet will let you know when the best time to get her spade/neutered and declawed. The vet will also run tests to check for Feline Leukemia and other Kitty diseases and if those come back positive a lot of vets will require the cat to be on meds or be cleared before they can do surgery. Most vets will recommend cats be spade/neutered by the time they are 1 year old. If you choose to declaw your cat also check on special litter that they need after the procedure in order for them to not have infections in their paws from the other litter. Hope this helps

Answer 4

First kitten combination (and FeLV for outdoor cats) vaccine at 8 weeks, deworm for roundworms at the same time. Deworm again at 10 weeks, next vaccines at 12 weeks. Final deworming and vaccines at 16 weeks (final combination, FeLV for outdoor cats, and first rabies vaccine that will last 1 year)

Spaying and neutering is best at around 6 months, if you want to declaw your cat do it at the same time as the spay or neuter but do NOT do it at a cheapy clinic. The declawing technique at cheap clinics is cruel to the animal, it does not remove the entire toe segment and will cause a lifetime of pain in the front paws. I suggest having a quality spay/neuter and declaw with your regular vet who will use proper technique, safe drugs, and hospital care for your pet. And please do NOT declaw your cat if you are going to let her outside, she will need them.

After all that, if your cat is going to be outdoors, make sure to get the feline leukemia (FeLV), rabies, and combination vaccines every year, along with a yearly check up with the vet. Outdoor cats should be dewormed for tapeworms about every 3-4 months as well, and put on a quality flea and tick preventative like Frontline Plus or Advantage.

For indoor cats, only the combination vaccine is important to the cat's health, though I do recommend at least having the initial rabies and FeLV kitten series just IN CASE your cat gets outside. Deworming is usually unnecessary, especially if you keep the cat on flea preventative to keep tapeworm-ridden fleas from infecting your cat.

Answer 5

normally the first vaccine comes at the age of 6 wks they will also be given a liquid wormer at this time. 3 weeks later they will recieve another vaccine and a wormer. 3 weeks later another vaccine but no wormer this time. and at the age of 4 months they recieve the last vaccine and rabies shot. if you are going to have them spayed/neuter and declawed you should plan on doing it after they are 4 months old but don't wait to long the younger they are the better it is for them.